Last week Wednesday, we told you about the launch of Saint Martin's Community Hub. We called it a mechanic shop to fix broken men and broken cars and it was opened with an impressive amount of fanfare including even the U.S. charge d affaires - appearing deep in the heart of St Martin's. But, tonight, the future of the shop hangs in the balance, because despite its auspicious opening, within 72 hours, the Hub and its St. Martin's One-Stop Auto Care became a murder scene.
It happened on Saturday night on Partridge Street Extension where one of its mechanics, 30-year-old Terrence Rhaburn, was killed in a drive-by right in front of the Hub's gate.
Cherisse Halsall returned to the garage today and found the men somewhat wary but back to work with hope and heavy hearts:
It was a quiet Saturday night on Partridge Street Ext with the Saint Martin's One-stop Auto Care mechanics closing up their garage and getting ready to turn in for the night.
But - in a second - everything changed. 5 of the men: Albert Clother, Jermaine Garnett, Keith Stewart, Jamal Jackson, and Terrence Rhaburn were shot in a drive-by. 30-year-old Rhaburn was shot in the back and later died at the hospital.
This morning when we spoke to one of the mechanics and shooting victims, Jermaine "Horse" Garnette he told us that this incident isn't going to derail the group's efforts to change their lives or the success of the auto shop.
Jermaine Garnett, Mechanic
"Just a little incident, a car down the lane started to open fire on everybody, a man losses his life and 4-5 men got shot, but such is life. Our business will not stop flow. We weren't waiting for this time. they want to put up camera, police booth - all kind of things. When bad things happen its then that people try to chip in. Fatality happened and a man ended up losing his life but things proceed as normal, today is Monday morning, we're back on the job site we're trying to make things come back the same and try to see if we can get everything as normal. We need for people to understand that certain people have nice heart, certain people have bad hearts. The ones who has bad hearts are the ones who are evil and choose to do the things that happened. The Commissioner says that he will try to give us a camera here and set up something here, but it's not things that we are begging for them to do for us. We can watch over ourselves, we don't want to push that evil side of life. Everybody wants to live with their families."
Terrence Rhaburn'ss family lives right across the street, his mother Barbara who spoke to us off-camera was sitting in her front yard on Saturday night and says she witnessed her son's murder. She started screaming his name knowing that he'd been there working.
Voice of: Barbara Humes, Terrence Stuart's Foster Mother
"I sat down and all I heard was shots, and when I looked out I only saw the vehicle parked there and the shots. I don't know who was in there and all I was doing was bawl out if Terrence is over there, because I know he was there early and he left but I didn't see when he got there and after the it was over it was then that I found out that he got shot. He walked out of the yard to the vehicle and they took him to the hospital and he died at the hospital."
Humes adopted Terrence when he was less than a year old and says she raised him these 29 years to be both upstanding a conscientious
Barbara Humes, Terrence Stuart's Foster Mother
"Terrence is my son, I got him from the Human Services Department in 1991. I raise him from he was 11 months old until the time of his death - the senseless killing, Terrence was a quiet child, he grew up humble. Anybody could ask him to do anything and he is there for them. He is not in any problems, no gang, he is not on the streets fighting drifting around, no nothing. Terrence went to school and he graduated from CET and he does mechanic. So Terrence could go anywhere in the city, anywhere around Belize because Terrence didn't have a problem with anyone. The US Embassy and LOVEFM foundation they open this in our community and everyone was excited because it gives them something to do. He was working in Ladyville, so he wasn't at the opening because he was at work, but the Mechanic shop flooded out from the flood in Ladyville and that's why he was down here working there. The place they said is for helping the youths in the community. So he was kind of excited too, because he does mechanic and he detailed vehicles. Saturday evening I think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
His friends and colleagues at the garage agree, and this morning Jermaine Garnette told us that if any of them deserve to escape that hail of bullets it was Terrence.
Jermaine Garnett, Mechanic
"Goofy was a respectable little youth. The man wasn't a problem man - all what the man loved was the girls and the girls loved the man. The man doesn't bother people. The man has a kid, he has kids that he takes care of and the incident happened to someone who didn't deserve to die, because we as individual who knows that we should die, we don't worry, because we know our number will play some day. We always say we are here for the people. As I always say it takes the people from abroad to come and try to help the ghetto youths in the slum."
While staff and patrons will now have to push ahead and take it on faith that with the right supports and precautions in place this is a business that can still thrive, they still have the U.S. Embassy's support.
On Saturday night - hours after the shooting - that diplomatic mission released a statement to that effect saying quote: "U.S. Embassy Belmopan is aware of the tragic shooting incident this evening in St. Martins de Porres in Belize City. We remain committed to supporting our Belizean partners to ensure safe and secure communities." End quote.
